hardcourt romance
by talkingtummy
Summary: a big basketball game coming up!


"I'm open, I'm open!" yelled Kanata. His teammate passed the ball to him, and he made a perfect three-point shot.

He and his teammates, the Monkichis (the principal named the team, of course), were practicing hard. A big basketball game was coming up the next day.

On the bleachers, Christine sighed as she watched Kanata dribble. "He is so dreamy…"

The Kanata Fan Club sighed with her. "Yeah…"

Miyu giggled. "Don't you girls think that you're a little too… uh… _obsessed_ with him?"

The fan club gave her a collective glare. She said feebly, "I guess not."

She turned to her friends. "Why are we watching basketball practice again?"

"I told you, there might be something interesting that happens here." Aya said. "I've already got several ideas for a new play!"

"Well then, let's go!"

"We can't. Nanami's watching Santa play," Aya said with a smirk.

Miyu laughed. She never expected Nanami to like Santa, though it was a pretty interesting development. "I keep forgetting about that. It's like the twilight zone or something, Nanami falling for Santa."

"Tone it down, will you?" Nanami pleaded. "It's a secret."

"You guys are so mean," Miyu complained. "Aya needs inspiration for a play, and you're watching your precious Santa. I don't have any business in the gym yet you drag me here to watch a stupid--"

WHAM!

A basketball hit her squarely on the forehead. Everyone watched as Miyu fell over backwards into Aya's lap.

"Miyu!" Kanata shouted as he made his way through the bleachers. He kneeled beside her and started stroking her hair off her forehead, which now had an angry red welt.

Miyu blinked dazedly. "What happened?"

"Someone made a wrong pass."

She tried to sit up, but he forced her down again, saying, "Don't move just yet."

"Kanata…" she murmured.

"What?"

She giggled loudly. "You have spinach on your teeth."

The crowd laughed. Kanata's teammates hooted with glee.

"What the--" He covered his mouth and removed the offending vegetable from his teeth. "You little idiot," he muttered, turning red. "You could have just whispered it to me."

"Well, I like seeing you all red and blushing." She retorted, getting up slowly. "Aya, Nanami, I'll go home now. My head aches like crazy…"

"I'm home!" Kanata went into the living room and dropped on the cushions next to Miyu. "I'm exhausted."

Miyu was pressing an ice pack to her forehead. "How was practice?"

"All right, I guess. Here, let me do that." He grabbed the ice pack from her and pressed it gently to her forehead. "Are you okay?"

Growing uncomfortable under his intent gaze, she replied, "I'm okay… Kanata?"

"Yeah?"

"What… why are you doing this?"

He averted his eyes. "Well… I feel kind of guilty."

"Why?" Wild thoughts spun through Miyu's mind like bees in a hive. _Could he be guilty about fighting with me all the time? _Her heart thumped faster.

"I feel guilty… because… I was the one who made that wrong pass."

Miyu felt her heart drop. _Ouch._ She pulled away from Kanata and threw the ice pack at his face. "You jerk!"

"It was an honest mistake!"

"You, Kanata Saionji, are supposed to be the best freakin' basketball player in the entire school, and you make a wrong pass? And worse, you made a wrong pass, and _I_ got hit? I got hit! Could it be that this is retribution for our fights at home?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

Miyu leapt to her feet and teetered unsteadily. Kanata made a move to help her, but she glared at him with such ferocity that he recoiled. "I hope you lose tomorrow."

The next day, Aya and Nanami had to yank Miyu to the gym.

"Come on, Miyu-chan, you don't have any school spirit!" Aya exclaimed.

"Yeah, besides, Kanata will be playing." Nanami added.

"Don't you mean _Santa_ will be playing?" Miyu said pointedly. "Look, guys, I really don't want to watch this. I don't want another welt on me."

But her friends were so persistent that Miyu couldn't refuse.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered as the Kanata Fan Club waved purple and blue pom-poms around, screaming "Kanata! Kanata!"

Glancing around, Kanata spotted Miyu and gave her a wink, which flustered her and infuriated her at the same time.

"Miyu-chan, you're getting all red," commented Nanami.

"She's in love," sighed Aya dramatically.

Miyu felt herself blush harder. "You're all crazy."

The game started well, with the Monkichis leading by ten. Miyu's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to Kanata, and she noticed how fluid his movements looked, how handsome he really was with his eyes scrunched in concentration and with his hair flying--

_What the hell?_ Her mind screamed. She decided to stare at Santa instead, to the point that Nanami actually said, "Hey, he's mine, sister!"

"Don't worry, Miyu-chan, you'll get your own guy soon," Aya said pointedly. "Right, Nanami-chan?"

Miyu barely had time to ponder her friend's words before the lights switched off, plunging the gym into total darkness.

"Aya? Nanami?" She reached for her friends. As she grasped someone's hands, she felt herself getting tugged out of her seat. "What's going on?"

Several hands were pulling her and pushing her, guiding her down the bleachers, as she cried, "What the heck--!" She stumbled onto level ground.

Suddenly, a spotlight shone down upon her. She shielded her eyes, utterly bewildered.

At that moment, Kanata, his voice booming through the speakers, said, "Miyu."

Miyu squinted, hoping to see him. "Kanata?"

As he approached, she asked, "Kanata? What's happening?"

He ignored her question as he joined her under the spotlight, carrying a bouquet of roses. "These are for you."

Blushing, she accepted them and opened her mouth to ask something, but he placed a finger to her lips and said, "Miyu, I've only known you for a year, but I felt like I've known you my whole life.

"I can't live without you. Everyday, I long to be with you. Just seeing your beautiful face makes my day.

"I love you, Miyu."

The words made her turn red as a tomato. _Kanata…_

"I need to ask you something, Miyu." Kanata stepped closer to her. Then he showed her a thin gold ring with glinting stones. She gasped.

"Miyu Kouzouki, will you be my girlfriend?"

The entire gymnasium held its breath.

"Yes," whispered Miyu.

The gymnasium erupted in cheers.

Later, Kanata and Miyu were at home, relaxing. Kanata confessed that he had been planning everything with their friends and schoolmates.

"Nanami and Aya were supposed to get you to the gym in the first place. Santa was in charge of rigging the lights and the sound system. And Hikarigaoka provided the flowers."

"Who pushed me down the bleachers?"

"The Kanata Fan Club. Chris persuaded them to help me confess to you."

Miyu was incredulous. "I can't believe you went through all that to confess to me. You could have just whispered it to me, you know."

"I know." He winked. "I just like seeing you all red and blushing."

They laughed, happy in each other's arms.

**Wah I love Miyu and Kanata! Many of my stories are actually what I want to happen to me in real life, haha. Read & review please…**


End file.
